Memories from Betty's Sister > Sylvia

Dear Joe,

Would you please enter this into your Blog for Betty. Thanks, Aunt Sylvia

Some memories of Elisabeth, my sister, as I remember them from growing up with her.

We used to go to dad's sister's farm near Gillette, PA alot. Uncle Lonnie and Aunt Iva always had a garden, so there was always a nice dinner for all of us. One time, we were going up the hill and the right front WHEEL came off of our Williys Knight and rolled down the hill! We shared the thrill when they got their electricity, their first phone, helped at haying season. All of the farmers around shared some of the equipment, and went to each others farms to help hay. The women would all help cook. They told us we they were serving woodchuck, but I think they were teasing us....not really sure tho. We got in trouble for gathering eggs that had been placed under special hens by Aunt Grace (she lived near Lacyville, where our dad's parents are buried) so she could have the chickens hatch some duck eggs. We got chased into the outside cellar entrance at Aunt Ellen's farm by a mean bore hog. We would play with the outside water pump so much they scolded us for wasting water. We would snuggle into thick down covers at night, as there was no heat in the upstairs.

We went with our dad while he measured the depth of Eldridge Park Lake by cutting holes in the ice and dropping in a measured line and recording areas all around the lake. The newspaper ran an article on this. Dad taught a boys Sunday School class, and he would take us with him when he took the class to places of interest around the area. I remember going to a tannery, a glass milk bottleing plant, watching the circus unload from the train at dawn, seeing a preserved whale in one car and a mummy in another on a train that came to Elmira, watching them load the HUGE glass telescope made in Corning, NY onto a train to be delivered to California for the FIRST lens to study the sky. Dad stressed to us to remember this, as it was history being made. We went to the Elmira Reformatory on a few Sunday afternoons and watched the inmates perform wooden gun manuvers while marching. Annually we went to Woodlawn Cemetary and would stand on the running boards of dad's car with our arms full of flags and run from headstone to headstone to place them in metal containers on Memorial Day. We both took piano lessons, but Elisabeth really took to it. She would play and I would sing. We booked alot of church events and weddings. We were both very active in our church Youth Group. We didn't have any money for toys, but she could entertain herself just fine, as Elisabeth loved being outdoors.

I have been grateful for the computer which has enabled she and I to re-touch these last few years.

I know Kevin and Judy and Joe have done all there possibly was to do for her, and have stayed by her side to the end.

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to write your own thoughts and memories to share with your local friends and newspapers, if they allow you to.

I will miss her.

Love,

Aunt Sylvia

• EDIT ADDED BY JOE 20/2/2007 .... I'm sure ive found some pitures of the times Aunt Sylvia refers to. I will endevour to add some soon.